The Reason Why
by The Emcee
Summary: "The reason why Peter is the way he is is because Charles always wanted to have sex while he was pregnant." Makes perfect sense. If you're Eric. Cherik. Mpreg. One-shot.


Title: The Reason Why…

Author: The Emcee

Summary: "The reason why Peter is the way he is is because Charles always wanted to have sex while he was pregnant." Makes perfect sense. If you're Eric.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: This had been bugging me for a couple of days and if I don't write it now, it'll never go away. To be honest, this…kind of has no point whatsoever. It's just supposed to be funny (and hopefully, it is). The story takes place after _First Class_ but Eric didn't run off or cause Charles to take a bullet to the back. Oh, and Charles and Eric hook up and make a baby. Because their mutants and it could probably happen. Anyway…let me know what you think! R&R. Enjoy!

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**The Reason Why…**

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Peter was a handful.

Eric had known from day one that Peter would be a handful. Actually, he had known before his first born had ever been, well, born. Charles first pregnancy had been hard; mostly because Charles had never been pregnant before and mostly because of stress, a good portion of which Eric, unfortunately, caused. He couldn't help himself; he was a worry-wart and he had been worrying enough for the entire school while Charles had been pregnant (which, in turn, caused Charles to worry about him and increased his stress level exponentially).

Part of the reason why he had been worrying so much during Charles' first pregnancy was due to the fact that his dear husband seemed to always be in the mood. Honestly, Eric had had no idea that someone could be aroused so much while pregnant, but he shouldn't have expected any less. It was Charles after all. However, that didn't quell his surprise and amazement at how…aroused Charles could be when he was pregnant. During his pregnancy with Peter, it seemed as though Charles had never wanted to leave the bed. Or the couch. Or any surface, really. He wasn't picky.

Eric was. He had had to think of the baby, especially since it seemed as though Charles had never done so. And that was probably why Peter turned out the way he was. Charles was never as aroused or horny when he was pregnant with Wanda as he had been with Peter. The result, Eric strongly believes, is that Wanda turned out to be…well, not like Peter and Peter turned out to be, well, Peter.

Not that he was saying that his son was a bad egg. If anyone said that about Peter, Eric would have their head (figuratively, of course, because Charles would strongly disapprove if he literally took someone's head). But Peter could be quite the handful at times. He reminded Eric a lot of Charles, as a matter of fact. Or, how Charles had been when they had first met. Years of taking care of their children and other mutants had matured and wizened Charles considerably – almost to the point that it frightened Eric at times (jokingly, naturally, because Charles wouldn't hurt a fly but it did worry Eric how much pain Charles took from everyone he came into contact with). And it showed considerably each and every time Peter got into trouble.

As a kid, Peter was a typical kid – or what Charles called typical because Eric had never really had the opportunity to be a kid. He often did the opposite of what his parents told him to do: he would draw on the walls, he would sneak cookies before dinner, he wouldn't wait half an hour after eating to go swimming, and the list goes on. Then, his mutant powers revealed themselves. At first, Eric hadn't been sure if Peter's powers were what they were. Yes, he supposed that it was silly of him to even think so what with him being able to control metal, Charles being able to do…practically anything, Raven being able to transform into anyone, and many other abilities he's seen. But his own son being able to run so fast that he was invisible? Or being in one place one second and another place literally another second? That was something he had trouble fathoming. Perhaps because he hadn't expected that to be his son's power, but either way, it was Peter's power and it made him who he was.

Dealing with it while Peter was still a child, however, proved difficult. What did a trouble-making kid do when he found out that he could run really, really fast? Get into more trouble, apparently. And that's what Peter did. In fact, he got into so much trouble that Eric and Charles almost locked him up inside of his room once school started. That didn't work out, obviously, because Peter managed to sneak past them, literally, while they were trying to do so. It didn't help that Raven adored him and encouraged him even though she tried her best not to. Eric didn't know where Peter got his ego from, but Raven didn't need to boost it any more than it already was.

And things didn't calm down once Peter reached his teenage years. If anything, everything became worse because he had graduated from petty trouble-making to outright retail theft. Eric had never approved of it; after all, he and Charles could provide more for their children than anyone else; as a matter of fact, they were able to keep their school up and running, teach new students, hire new teachers, _and_ raise their children all at once without batting an eyelash. However, Charles seemed to get a kick out of some of the things Peter managed to steal and bring into their mansion, like the entire display of snack cakes and the video arcade game console. Even when he would reprimand Peter about it, there was always a slightly impressed tone to his voice that only Eric, Raven, and, of course, Peter managed to pick up on. That did not help whatsoever.

But that didn't mean that Eric and Charles allowed their son to get away with all of his thefts scot-free all of the time. Oh no, if Peter managed to land himself in a lot of trouble, Eric and Charles forced him to do community service or chores to pay off what they had paid for his thefts (all of which he completed in no time at all, literally, and that was why Eric often found such punishments useless although they did annoy Peter; if Peter hated anything, it was wasting time).

Eric and Charles had once brought up the possibility of Peter joining a community sports team. Not only would he get out of the house for a little while and out of everyone's hair at the mansion (Eric's idea), but he would be interacting on a positive note with the community and humans (Charles' idea). Peter shot that down instantly. Sports teams bored him and weren't thrilling enough. That was when Eric realized his son would be going to jail and he would be, more than likely, breaking him out of jail in a manner that Charles strongly disapproved of.

Regardless, Eric still loved his son. He just wished he wasn't…addicted to danger. It wasn't entirely Peter's fault though. Recently, Eric has come to realize that perhaps Charles is the reason for Peter's more delinquent lifestyle. Not that Charles knew how Peter would turn out, but Peter did remind Eric an awful lot of a younger Charles. Perhaps if Charles had not been so promiscuous while he was pregnant, Peter would not be such a handful. There just _had_ to be a connection between Charles' constant need for sex while he was pregnant with Peter and Peter being…well, himself. Eric didn't care if he sounded paranoid; he _knew_ there was a connection between the two.

He had wanted to talk to someone about it simply to get it out of his mind. It had been on his mind for years and the only other person he had tried to talk to about it was Raven, who barely even listened or just laughed it off, or both. Usually both, now that he thought about it. Talking to Charles would only make him feel…well, he didn't know how to put it into words. Eric didn't feel as though he ought to blame Charles; it wasn't his fault, not really. His husband had just been incredibly aroused during his pregnancy with Peter. But it was obvious that part of Charles was alive and well in Peter – and Eric wasn't talking about the fact that half of Charles' genes were inside of Peter.

"What's troubling you?" came Charles' voice.

Eric looked up and saw Charles sitting in the chair beside his own in the study, an area seldom occupied so early in the morning. His blue eyes were scrutinizing Eric carefully and it was obvious that he was trying to not read Eric's mind, something his husband appreciated. He highly doubted even Charles could make sense of the jumbled mess that was Eric's mind.

"What do you mean?" Eric asked him.

"Well, it's five o'clock in the morning and you're sitting here, alone, brooding," Charles replied. "Your brooding sessions don't usually start until six-thirty. Therefore, something must be bugging you."

"It's nothing," Eric said. Charles leaned in close to him and grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief. It amazed Eric how much Charles had both changed and not changed over the years.

"You can't lie to me. I know you too well," Charles teased.

"Oh? Do you, now?" Eric said, grinning a bit himself.

"Yes. I can read your mind even without the mutant powers," Charles said. "So, what about Peter has upset you this time?"

"How did you know I was thinking about Peter?"

"You always wear the same expression whenever you think of our son," Charles answered him and reached out and took hold of his hand. "He hasn't done anything yet this week. So…it must be something from the past."

"It's just…complicated to put into words," Eric told him.

"Do your best, as I've always told you," Charles said before placing a kiss on the back of his hand. Eric nodded and thought for a moment. Then, he met Charles' blue eyed gaze.

"I've come to a conclusion about Peter," Eric said.

"And what's that?" Charles asked, his grin returning.

"The reason why he is the way he is is because you always wanted to have sex while you were pregnant," Eric stated quite simply. Surely, it wouldn't be that hard for Charles to understand.

However, the look Charles gave him told Eric that it was. And it was apparent that he hadn't expected that, not from Eric, and not so bluntly. It was clear that Charles wasn't poking into his mind because he still looked a bit stunned and puzzled. Eric sighed and looked away, waiting for his husband to say something.

"So…you think that my sexual cravings during my pregnancy made Peter…Peter?" Charles asked. Eric nodded.

"Are you talking about…his power? I doubt that my telling you to go faster during sex while I was pregnant would contribute to his mutant power. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if that was, in fact, what happened," Charles said.

"No, it's not that. However, now that you bring it up, it is possible that it could have caused his mutation to be what it is," Eric said, placing his hand on his forehead, trying to hide his face from shame.

"Then…you'll have to explain it to me. Because I'm afraid that I'm not getting it," Charles told him.

"Well, Peter is…he's…." Eric sighed heavily. And then it came to him, how to explain it in a way that would make sense to other people who aren't him. "Remember how Raven used to always say that you couldn't be left alone for a minute?"

"Oh, yes. I remember her saying that numerous times. Even now, she sometimes says it," Charles said.

"Well, that's how Peter is. And it's because you rubbed off on him before he was even born," Eric told him, being perfectly serious. That was why he was so surprised when Charles started laughing.

"What's so funny?" he asked, feeling slightly offended. Charles smiled at him and all offense he felt melted away in a heartbeat.

"You are, you wonderful man," Charles replied.

"Me?" Eric said.

"Only you would make a connection such as that. I hadn't even though of it myself, to be honest," Charles said. "I honestly didn't expect you to say or even think that. But now that I think about it…I suppose that he is more I was younger, only…a bit more…rambunctious."

"Oh, yes, he's definitely that," Eric mumbled.

"Did you want me to talk with him?" Charles asked him.

"No, that's not necessary. He hasn't done anything though, has he?" Eric said, suddenly worried.

"That I know of? No. But I'm sure he has or will soon. He's been too good this week," Charles said.

"Yes, he has," Eric replied, his mind returning to what he had been thinking about before Charles interrupted him.

He wasn't sure if Charles understood him completely on this topic. Probably not. It seemed as though it only made sense to Eric himself. But that was probably a good thing; he didn't know what he'd do if there was another him at the school. Besides, if thinking that Charles' sex drive during his pregnancy made Peter the person he was today made sense to anyone else, he might start doubting his sanity.\

"Eric," Charles called him. Eric turned to him and saw that he was looking slightly concerned.

"Hm?"

"I asked if you wanted to go down to breakfast now," his husband said. "Are you sure you're alright? And that there's nothing else bothering you?"

"Yes. Yes, I'm sure. I'm just…lost in thought again," Eric replied and got up with Charles following suit.

"Wanda turned out perfectly fine. Not at all like her older brother," Charles reassured him. Then he grinned and added, "But, if you want to make sure that your theory is correct, we could always try for a third. We're still in the prime of our lives. We could have another."

The possibility of another Peter. Oh, dear God. Eric nearly blanched at the thought. One Peter was quite enough, thank you very much. But if they had another one? He would surely lose the rest of his mind, especially if Charles' insatiable sexual appetite returned.

His expression must have revealed his thoughts because Charles laughed and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"I'm only half joking, Eric," he said, his eyes sharing the smile that was on his lips.

"Half joking?" Eric asked and paled slightly.

"Yes. Only half," Charles answered. He grabbed the door knob and turned it. However, the door didn't open. Frowning, he tugged it. Eric then tried to unlock the door himself, but it just wouldn't open or budge.

They shared a look.

"PETER!"


End file.
